El Fuego
by RingsAkhaten
Summary: Mendoza's education now turns to the subject of the dance. What could possibly go wrong?


"I tell you, Sergeant, it is a mistake to put your faith in these modern dances." Shaking his head derisively, the elder Don then turned in his chair to better address the standing Sergeant.

"In my day, there was romance, there was mystery. Now, there is only obscenity!" At this, the younger Don, also seated, rubbed at his brow and silently mouthed his father's last few words in concert.

Luis Ramone, his eyes already fixed on the tavern's ceiling, gathered an audible breath, then adjusted his grip at Victoria's waist, as the Senorita, pointedly ignoring both Ramone and the gathering at the table, sighed heavily in impatience.

Diego, also expressing some irritation, began to argue with the older Don.

"The waltz is hardy a modern invention, father, it has been danced in the court for over twenty years."

Unimpressed, Alejandro scoffed and seemed poised to initiate a further confrontation, when Ramone, raising his voice to be heard the breadth of the tavern, turned to address the table.

"Gentlemen, If we may continue?"

Holding his son's gaze in a narrow-eyed glare, Alejandro appeared unrelenting, but then, turning his head on the hapless Diego, he gestured dismissively at Ramone.

The Alcalde then turning his attention to the small collection of players seated at the larger table near the bar, inclined his head.

"Senores, at your convenience."

Music and dance began, as Mendoza, his face alight with jovial enthusiasm, tapped his toes in time to the rollicking tune, smiling broadly as the couple twirled past them.

Alejandro, his arms folded, and his face creased with distaste, still ignored the younger Don, as Diego's head began to pulse.

"You are a very good dancer, Senorita!" Mendoza cried out appreciatively, earning a glare from the older Don and a slight moan from the younger. Victoria, in the midst of a spin, and with a meaningful glance at Ramone, thanked him before adding.

"It is not difficult. The dance is very slow and tepid."

Sighing, Diego again ground at his brow as Ramone, greatly affronted, came to sudden halt and again raised his voice to its summit.

"Tepid" then to the players, he added, at equal volume. "Senhores, if I may beg your indulgence?"

When the room again grew silent, he continued. "Senorita, this dance was once banned in several countries!"

"Ah ha!" Alejandro declared, striking the table in emphasis and turning a triumphant finger on his groaning son. "It is as I said. Obscene." Then, to the Sergeant, he continued, "Mendoza, what you need.."

"It has no passion!" Victoria's voice, also raised to its threshold, drowned out the remainder of Alejandro's words and drove the pained Diego to shield to his ears as she continued with greater volume.

"I am not even perspiring!"

At this, Ramone flared his nostrils, then wrinkled his nose in distaste.

"Yes, you are."

Victoria's gaze was withering.

"I could not tell, because my nose is filled with the stench of your cologne!"

Diego, abandoning his chair, rose to approach the player's table.

"Senhores, if you would, some soothing music."

The soft tones of a Spanish guitar began.

"Senores!" and halted just as quickly as Victoria, icily glaring at Ramone, turned to the players. "A Paso Doble."

"Paso Doble!" the two Dons and their Alcalde cried in unison, silencing the new music between the first and second beat.

"Vulgarity! Completely suggestive!" Alejandro sputtered in outrage, again abusing the table and prompting another painful outcry from his son. Ramone, equally indignant and genuinely appalled, took up the baton.

"Senhorita, the dance is ridiculous!"

Victoria's eyes narrowed and her chin jutted outward defiantly as she spoke first to Ramone, then to Mendoza.

"It is fiery and sensual, Sargeant, it is a dance from the heart."

Mendoza, uncertain, glanced at Diego, who sounding far more desperate than he intended, replied far too quickly.

"It is somewhat out of fashion."

Victoria's glare, now intensified, turned on the helpless Diego, who found himself utterly speechless as she icily replied.

"I did not realise that you were so snobbish."

At this, Ramone chuckled, and Victoria, rising on her toes to challenge, taunted.

"Just as you could not speak from your heart, you cannot dance from it either!"

This drew a short and audible gasp from the gallery of players and at it, Ramone stiffened and glared. Then, to Diego's distress, he spoke through his clenched teeth.

"Senores. A Paso Doble."

Diego rubbed furiously at his temples, his headache increasing exponentially as Ramone moved deliberately to the far corner of the tavern and commenced the traditional postures.

The musicians began, if somewhat unsteadily, and Victoria, taking her own position, awaited the appropriate juncture in the music. Ramone, seemingly enthralled by his efforts, took very little notice of her, then, gesticulating wildly and stomping about in an elaborate circle, his movements became increasingly bizarre and comic, until finally, the entire masculine assembly-musicians included-burst into laughter.

Apparently pleased by the response, he bowed deeply as Mendoza initiated a brief round of applause. Even Alejandro was swept away by the moment as Diego eyed Victoria warily, awaiting the storm.

The Senorita, briefly stupefied with fury, stared daggers at the whole of the room as Alejandro, at last acknowledging his son, turned to whisper.

"All these years, I never knew he had a sense of humor."

"Ah si, Don Alejandro," Mendoza replied as both Dons turned to gaze at him in amazement. "He does a wonderful impression of the governor." Diego and his father exchanged looks as Mendoza, glancing at Ramone, then leaning nearer to whisper himself added.

"Sometimes, when he is grumpy, Private Sanchez puts a little whiskey in his coffee. One night.."

"Alcalde!"

Shrinking, Diego eyes widened as Victoria, now utterly fuming, her fists clenched, advanced menacingly on the smirking Ramone, who, apparently more inured to the abuse, stood his ground in the face of the assault.

Sweeping Alejandro with a brief but scathing glance that made his son's heart skip, she again stood on her toes to look the slightly wilting Ramone in the eye.

"It is as _I_ said. You are afraid."

This drew another round of gasps from the players as Ramone now stood stupefied and slightly quaking. A moment passed, and the trembling escalated like a slow and rolling eruption until the man seemed on the verge of blowing apart. Then, Diego's distress escalated into genuine horror as, all at the once the emotion dissipated and Ramone began to smile.

Victoria, faltering, briefly froze as the man fixed her with an intensely disturbing gaze, and with a calmness that bode utter calamity, he again addressed the players.

"Senores, the Paso Doble," then, to Mendoza and the Dons he added, as the music unsteadily began. "If you will forgive this lapse in etiquette."

At his own words, and with great deliberation, he gathered the ends of his cravat and began to loosen the knot as Diego's horror gave way to panic.

"Madre de Dios." Alejandro muttered, then throwing up his hand, he simply turned his head away from the scene.

"What are you doing?" Victoria's unsteady exclamation prompted a few brave chuckles from the players and a desperate look from Diego, who collapsed into his chair, as Mendoza, blithely oblivious, beamed excitedly.

Ramone's smile, upon hearing Victoria's brief bobble, deepened in its disturbing intensity, but now utterly focused, he simply resumed his postures without further comment.

Victoria, looking vaguely concerned, joined him with somewhat less enthusiasm as Diego withered in his seat. Mendoza clapped in time with the now more rousing beat as Ramone launched into an astonishing display of footwork as Victoria pranced with little vigor and stiffly waved her shirts.

Aggressively lunging and posturing, Ramone fierily approached his now reluctant partner, as Diego began to perspire profusely.

"Must we continue this abomination?" Ramone groused when at last she came near enough to hear him. "I feel ridiculous and you look like a flapping chicken."

In passing, and in retort, Victoria drove her heel into the side of Ramone's calf, drawing a sharp and indignant groan, as, applying further abuse she again taunted.

"You are still tepid."

Retaliating, as she passed around him, he lunged to one knee, drawing his extended leg by so quickly that she was forced to jump over it to avoid tripping.

"They are very passionate!" Mendoza enthused as Diego gaped and Alejandro, again engaged, shook his head in disgust.

"Disgraceful. Without shame. Utterly without shame,"

Diego's eyes narrowed in inspection. They were very, very close and seemed to be speaking to one another very heatedly.

"Madre de Dios! Did you see that!" Alejandro fumed.

Diego had seen it. Ramone, gathering Victoria with some strength, had thrown her bodily in a bombastic arc-and momentary-in full contact sliding over his breast. Her cheeks, which had colored were now chalk white and her eyes were glittering with some disturbing intent.

Falling backward, she then approached Ramone with fierce velocity and as his eyes widened in surprise, and perhaps terror. Then, she triumphantly dropped to her knees, encircling his waist with her arms, her head pressed against his abdomen.

"Obscene! Utterly obscene. I want no more part of this." and at that exclamation, the older Don rose in his chair and meaningfully showed his back to the proceedings.

"This is very romantic. I think the Alcalde is a little flustered." Mendoza emoted, so absorbed as to be unaware of Alejandro's withdraw and Diego's flushed face.

"Senorita." Ramone's spat through gritted teeth. "I insist that you refrain from contact with my lower extremities."

"You are prudish, like an old woman." She retorted with a predatory smile.

White shown around the breadth of Ramone's eyes. His teeth bared.

Victoria swallowed, her own eyes widening, as in a flourish, Ramone pulled at his shirt, baring a portion of his breast.

Mendoza laughed heartily as Diego hid his face in his hands.

"I think she is a little flustered now."

Alejandro, stealing a quick glance over his shoulder at Mendoza's words, threw his hands to the sky and resuming his nonparticipation, simply repeated the word obscene.

Ramone and Victoria, in the midst of a bewildering display of spins which more resembled a struggle for dominance that a display of attraction, still actively and violently seemed to converse, until finally, as the music reached a rising crescendo, Ramone lifted and quite literally flung Victoria down at his feet in the dances traditional conclusion.

Musicians and Mendoza erupted in a frenzy of applause, as Ramone, his face reddened and smile triumphant, remained in his final pose, glaring down at Victoria, who in misfortune,had skidded to a somewhat unladylike conclusion, her posterior in the air.

Diego, his heart in his mouth, simply stared, until Mendoza jostled his shoulder, and he rose unsteadily to weakly applaud.

Ramone, seeming to recover himself, now looked vaguely horrified, and somewhat cautiously approached the recovering Victoria to help her rise as Alejandro, rejoining the gathering, reluctantly applauded the bowing and glaring Senorita.

Mendoza, beaming, showered the couple in appreciation, declaring.

"You are right again, Senorita, it is a wonderful dance!"

Victoria, her hair disarrayed and her face scarlet, simply nodded in acknowledgement, then with a parting glare at Diego, excused herself, as Ramone, gathering his discarded apparel, turned to once more address the assembly.

"Senores, If you will excuse me. I feel unclean."


End file.
